Sigmaringen Castle

The castle stands on a limestone rock rising directly from the young Danube and has been the seat of the Swabian branch of the Hohenzollern family since 1535; they still own it. A fire in 1893 destroyed much of the interior and the rebuilding produced the present historicist rooms. The armoury holds around three thousand pieces of arms and armour collected by the family, described as one of the largest private collections in Europe, laid out in a purpose-built hall. Other rooms show tapestries, porcelain and a Swabian gallery of late Gothic panel painting. The town below sits in the Upper Danube valley.

Background

The castle dominates the town of Sigmaringen in the Swabian Alb, set on the Schlossberg, a chalk cliff about 200 metres long that rises up to 35 metres above the Danube. A first castle stood here by the early 11th century and is first mentioned in 1077. After the fire of 1893 it was rebuilt, and only the towers of the medieval fortress survive. It belonged to the Swabian Hohenzollerns, a cadet branch of the family that produced the German Emperors and the kings of Prussia, and it still belongs to the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen family, though they no longer live there. The castle and museums can be seen all year, on guided tours only.

Source: Wikipedia, "Sigmaringen Castle"

What to look for

• The armoury - around three thousand weapons and armour pieces.
• The rock setting - a castle rising directly from the Danube.
• The state rooms - historicist interiors rebuilt after the 1893 fire.
• The Swabian gallery - late Gothic panel paintings in the collection.

When to go

April to October; the castle keeps reduced winter hours and closes for periods in January and February. Visits are guided or audio-guided at set times.

What to expect

Most interiors are post-1893 reconstruction, not original. Visits are on fixed routes. The town is small with limited other draws.

Nearby

The Upper Danube valley runs west; Beuron abbey is upstream.

Key facts